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MapQuest Becomes No. 1 US App After Refusing 'Lake America' Renaming

Mapping application MapQuest has risen to become the top overall app on the U.S. App Store, following its decision not to adopt the name "Lake America" for Lake Ontario.

  • MapQuest reached the No. 1 spot on the U.S. App Store on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
  • The surge in downloads followed MapQuest's refusal to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America" after a presidential executive order.
  • MapQuest estimates over 1.5 million installs across the U.S. and Canada since the executive order was issued on August 27.

MapQuest, an established mapping application, has achieved the No. 1 overall ranking on the U.S. App Store. This rise occurred on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, from its No. 8 position on Monday.

The surge in downloads is attributed to MapQuest's decision to not rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America." This stands in contrast to Google Maps and Apple Maps, which adopted the new name following a presidential executive order issued on August 27. MapQuest announced its stance on X after the order.

Since the executive order, MapQuest estimates over 1.5 million installs across the U.S. and Canada. Market intelligence provider Sensor Tower estimates 632,000 downloads in the U.S. during this period. More than half, 56%, of MapQuest's year-to-date U.S. downloads occurred between August 27 and September 1.

MapQuest General Manager Doug Berger noted that new users are actively engaging with the app, submitting feature requests and bug reports. The company's small team is working to build requested features.

Why this matters: The event highlights how a company's stance on a political directive can influence consumer behaviour and app adoption in the competitive technology market.

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